Mini Big Ideas
A Little Book of Big Innovations
Published on 31. August 2023
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-1-4722-9856-0 (ISBN)
Description
'Witty, knowledgeable and mind-expanding' RICHARD FISHER | 'A joyful romp' TOM HARFORD | 'A fun and inspiring teaser for curious minds' JEREMIE HARRIS
Every so often, a new idea comes along that changes everything. Vaccinations. Relativity. Fascism. Can we imagine a world before the invention of writing? What would Christianity have looked like without with a concept of hell? Sometimes these ideas come along suddenly: Copernicus suggesting the earth revolves around the sun; Gutenberg's printing press, Darwin's theory of evolution. Sometimes they evolve over generations: the institution of marriage; the development of animal husbandry; the understanding of genetics. Either way, once the idea gains a foothold, nothing is the same again.
This fascinating little book tells the stories behind 150 revolutionary concepts and explains why they are important. Taken from the realms of science, politics, society, religion and technology, these are the big ideas that have changed the world - in a nutshell.
Every so often, a new idea comes along that changes everything. Vaccinations. Relativity. Fascism. Can we imagine a world before the invention of writing? What would Christianity have looked like without with a concept of hell? Sometimes these ideas come along suddenly: Copernicus suggesting the earth revolves around the sun; Gutenberg's printing press, Darwin's theory of evolution. Sometimes they evolve over generations: the institution of marriage; the development of animal husbandry; the understanding of genetics. Either way, once the idea gains a foothold, nothing is the same again.
This fascinating little book tells the stories behind 150 revolutionary concepts and explains why they are important. Taken from the realms of science, politics, society, religion and technology, these are the big ideas that have changed the world - in a nutshell.
Reviews / Votes
A joyful romp through the history of civilisation, full of snackable curiosities. Like fitting an elephant into a thimble, Jonny Thomson manages to cram some of the world's biggest, grandest ideas into only a few hundred words. Witty, knowledgeable and mind-expanding. -- Richard Fisher, author of THE LONG VIEW Who knew that the biggest ideas in the universe could fit in such a small package? Mini Big Ideas is a delightful introduction to some of the most profound discoveries and open questions in science and philosophy. A fun and inspiring teaser for curious minds that will fit in your purse, or your man-purse, or whatever you use to carry stuff around with you. -- Jeremie Harris, author of QUANTUM PHYSICS MADE ME DO ITMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Headline Publishing Group
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 159 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
314 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4722-9856-0 (9781472298560)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
08/2023
Wildfire
€3.99
Available for download
Person
Jonny Thomson taught philosophy in Oxford for more than a decade before turning to writing full-time. He's a staff writer at Big Think, where he writes about philosophy, theology, psychology and occasionally other subjects when he dares step out of his lane. His first book, Mini Philosophy, is an award-winning, international bestseller, and has been translated into twenty languages. Jonny also runs the 'Mini Philosophy' Instagram and Facebook accounts (@philosophyminis).